Gear Up!

There's more to lose than the game. Use protective eyewear.

Promote Protective Eyewear in Your Community

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Community organizations can make a difference
Parents, teachers, and coaches can help
Sporting and athletic clubs and other recreational facilities can support eye safety

Individuals and community organizations can help spread the word about the need for student athletes to use protective eyewear. Consult the following list for ideas to use in your community or with your circle of friends. Every effort makes a difference!

Community organizations can make a difference.

  • Team up with a Healthy Vision 2010 Consortium member in your community.  Members are listed at http://www.healthyvision2010.org/about_hv/c_members.asp.
  • Contact local community and recreation centers, gyms, health clubs, and organized sports leagues to find out if they encourage the use of protective eyewear.  If not, offer to provide them with fact sheets and other materials that you can download from this site.
  • Share your ideas with local eye health care providers and encourage them to work with you.
  • Ask your local newspaper to publish the drop-in article that can be downloaded on this site.  Send it to local radio stations and ask them to mention it on air.
  • Work with sporting goods stores and opticians to raise awareness about the importance of using protective eyewear.
  • Download the free information from this site and disseminate it to your members, friends, teachers, coaches, and health care providers.

Parents, teachers, and coaches can help.

  • Require protective eyewear as part of the standard equipment.
  • Remind children to use appropriate protective eyewear in sporting activities.
  • Invite an eye care provider to talk about eye safety during health and gym classes.
  • Implement a protective eyewear program for team and intramural athletic programs.
  • Post eye safety messages on school bulletin boards and at park and community center racquetball courts and other locations where there is a high risk for eye injury.
  • Distribute the children’s eye safety calendar to aftercare programs, schools, and kids’ sports teams and ask for volunteers to read the fun facts out loud.

Sporting and athletic clubs and other recreational facilities can support eye safety.

  • Present information about eye safety at staff meetings and training seminars.  The PowerPoint presentation and other resources available on this website can help.
  • Encourage gym members to wear protective eyewear while playing racquetball.  Display and sell protective eyewear in your shop.
  • Make sure your staff members serve as good role models by wearing protective eyewear during appropriate activities.
  • Keep information on protective eyewear at the front desk and posted on bulletin boards.
  • Ask your insurance company about rate differentials for clubs that require the use of protective eyewear.

For more information about how you can inform people about the need for protective eyewear, download the Educating Your Community About Protective Eyewear Handbook and the Community Action Guide.

Educating Your Community About Protective Eyewear Handbook (PDF). 
This handbook is for people who want to help promote eye health education in their communities.  It includes facts about eye injury, suggestions for activities, promotional materials, and a brochure to distribute.

Community Action Guide (PDF)
This guide provides information to encourage community leaders to make vision a health priority.  It includes a timeline, media materials, tips for involving your community, and more.